How to create or move a global catalog in Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000, or Small Business Server 2000

This article explains how to create a new global catalog server. This may be necessary if you need additional global catalog servers (e.g. to support an Exchange 2000 roll out) or if you want to move the global catalog server role to a different domain controller.

There may be occasions when it is necessary to create a new global catalog to replace an existing one, or to add a new global catalog. Microsoft recommends the following method:

1. Create a new global catalog on a second domain controller.
2. Wait for the account and the schema information to replicate to the new global catalog. For single domains, this is relatively straightforward. For multiple domain networks, full replication will take additional time, depending on the complexity of the network. The new global catalog will be created by normal Active Directory (AD) replication and depending on the structure of your AD forest, this replication could take considerable time.
3. Remove the global catalog from the original domain controller (optional).

By default, Windows 2000 will only place a Global catalog on the first Domain Controller in each AD forest.

To create additional global catalog servers, or to move a global catalog from one domain controller to another, you need to perform these actions manually.

How to create a new global catalog on the destination global catalog server

To create a new global catalog:

1. On the domain controller where you want the new global catalog, start the Active Directory Sites and Services snap-in. To start the snap-in, click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Sites and Services.
2. In the console tree, double-click Sites, and then double-click sitename.
3. Double-click Servers, click your domain controller, right-click NTDS Settings, and then click Properties.
4. On the General tab, click to select the Global catalog check box to assign the role of global catalog to this server.
5. Restart the domain controller.

Note Allow sufficient time for the account and the schema information to replicate to the new global catalog server before you remove the global catalog from the original domain controller.

Event 1119 may be logged in the Directory Services log in Event Viewer with a description that states that the computer is now advertising itself as a global catalog server.

In a Windows 2000 domain with only one domain controller, you typically assign the roles of the global catalog and of the operations master (also known as flexible single-master operations or FSMO) to the same domain controller; however, in domains with multiple domain controllers, particularly in forests with multiple domains, it is important to consider the placement of these roles before you assign them. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

How to remove the global catalog from the original global catalog server

To remove the global catalog from the original domain controller:

1. On the domain controller from which you want to remove the global catalog, start the Active Directory Sites and Services snap-in. To start the snap-in, click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Sites and Services.
2. In the console tree, double-click Sites, and then double-click sitename.
3. Double-click Servers, click your domain controller, right-click NTDS Settings, and then click Properties.
4. On the General tab, click to clear the Global catalog check box to remove the role of global catalog from this server.
5. Restart the domain controller.

Note Allow sufficient time for the account and the schema information to replicate to the new global catalog server before you remove the global catalog from the original domain controller.

If you create additional global catalog servers, this may provide quicker responses to user inquiries; however, if you enable additional domain controllers as global catalog servers, this may increase replication traffic on the network. For more information about directory replication in Windows 2000, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: